Machine for assorting fruit.



No. 731,828. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

' J. J. WHITE. I

MACHINE FOR ASSORTING FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1902.

N0 MODEL 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: im/Ermn No. 731,828. PATENTBD JUNE 23, 1903.

' J. J. WHITE.

MACHINE FOR ASSORTING FRUIT.

7 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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J, J. WHITE. MACHINE FOR ASSORTING FRUIT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHBBT 3.

N0 MODEL.

lalaiiiiiiialil liiiiiiiii'fiiiiiilili IN VE N T01? WITNESSES TNE NORRIS PETERS co PNOTQLIYHOH WASHINGTOMID c.

soundberries.

- UNITED STATES PATENT Patented June 23, 1903.

OFFICE.

JOSEPH .1. WHITE, NEW LISBON, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR ASSORT ING FRUI T.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,828, dated June 23, 1903.. Application filed MM 12, 1902. Serial No. 97,865. (No model.)

To all whom it may oohce rnfi Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Lisbon,1n the county of Burlington and State of:

New Jersey haVe invented certain new useful'Improvements in Machines for Assortand ing Fruit, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for assorting fruit, and has referencemore particularly to cranberry-assorting machines.

The leading feature of my invention consists in the employment of a fruit-selecting plate in combination with means for jarring the same for selecting the sound from the u n- The invention also includes various novel features of construction and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafterfully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation,

partly in section, of a machine embodying my Fig. the line 9 9 of Fig. 1. Fig. is 35.

, belt and adjuncts,

invention. Fig. 2 is a'plan of the ,ofi-bearing showing a portion of the frame in section. Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations of the two opposite ends of the machine. Fig. detail as on the line5 50f 7 is an endelevation of the extension 56 of the frame of the machine and adj 'uncts. Fig. 8isa sectional plan of the shaker, take-up wheels, and adj uncts.

9 is a transverse vertical of the screw conveyers, its adjacentfruit-selecting plates, and adjuncts. Fig. 11 isa transverse vertical section as on the line 11 11 of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a detail of one of the spring-hammersand adjuncts.

Numeral 1 designates the frame of the machine, and '2 a suitable hopper supported therein in which theberries are contained. 1 This hopper comprises vertical end walls 3,

"connected by downward] yconverging side walls 44, and a. movable bottom 5, termed a section as on. a plan of oneshakerfipi voted at its ends to bearings on the frame. The forward Wall 4* terminates ona vertical line slightly above the. shaker, thus aifording an elongated opening 6 for the passage of the berries. One end of the shaker is provided with a lug 7, which projects outwardly thronghan opening in the end of the I hopper and is held normally against an adjusting-screw 8 by the action of a suitable spring 9.

Extending adjacent to and parallel with the opening 6 is a rotatable shaft 10, which is journaled in bearings 11 at the respective ends of the hopper. One end of this shaft projects outwardly and is provided with a gear-wheel12, having thereon a handle 13, by

means of which the machineis operated.

Fixedly arranged on the shaft lOat-intervals apart are a series of take-up wheels 14, which are provided on their peripheries with radiallyprojecting pins 15, preferably arranged in pairs, as shown. The peripheries of the wheels 14 revolve in to, the forward edge of the shaker, there being providedrecesses 16 in the shaker for the upward passage therethrough of the pins 15. Centrally-located. pins 17 serve to prevent the berries from escaping through the recesses 16, and guard plates 18, arranged on the shaker, prevent their escape laterally of the take-up wheels.

, On one end of the shaft 10 is a wheel 19,

provided with studs 20, which during the roclose proximity tation of the shaft engage a projection 21 on the shaker against the action of the spring 9, thus agitating the shaker and insuring the passage of the berries through the opening 6. By manipulating the screw 8 the movement .of the shaker may be varied and the supply of berries to the take-up wheels nicely regulated. During the rotation of the shaft .10 the berries are engaged by the pins'15 on the wheels 14 andsuccessively transferred to a series of conveyers 22, which are arranged directly beneath the take-up wheels. These *conveyers may be of'any appropriate construction. In the present instance I employ screws 23, fitted to shafts 24, which are mounted in bearings 25, transversely of the machine. The shafts 24 are provided with bevel gear-wheels 24, which coact with similar gear-wheels 26 on. a longitudinally-arranged shaft 27. One end of this shaft extends ontwardly and is provided with a pinion 28, which is engaged by the gear-wheel 12 and thereby driven.

Arranged parallel with each conveyor is a pair of oppositely-inclined walls 29 30, which receive and guide the berries as they are delivered from the superposed take-up wheels and carried onward by the conveyer, the lower edge of the wall 30 being cut away to afford a space 31 between the wall and the conveyer. The top of the conveyer revolves toward this space and discharges therethrough any crushed berries, vines, dirt, &c., that may accompany the berries as they pass through the machine. The space 31 is interrupted, as at 32, to insure the discharge of any crushed berries, &c., that may be carried forward thereth ro'ughthat is to say, any berries that may lodge between the wall 30 and the body of the conveyer 22 will be carried onward by the conveyer through the space 31 and will be forced out of the latter upon meeting either of the lugs 32. v

To clear the conveyer of any vines, &c.,

that may depend from the berries being carried onward thereby, I arrange on a common 1 bar 33,. below each conveyer and in close proximity to the latter, a clearing-block 34, L which projects upwardly and embraces the under side of'the conveyer.

The vines, &c.,

when they meet this clearing-block are there- 1 by disengaged from the onwardly-moving ber- 1 ries and drop from the machine.

Arranged on the inclined wall 30 are plates 35 35 36, termed selecting-plates, which may be of any shape and size for their in-' tended purpose. One or more of these plates may be employed with each conveyer. I

preferably construct the plates of sounding-board, although any suitable material may be used.

These plates rest upon the wall 30 and are secured thereto near their u er ed es b means of screws 37 their lower or free ends extending downwardly to, meet the conveyer and terminating on a line T parallel therewith. Secured to the under side 1 of the plates are centrally-located pins 38, which project through perforations in the E wall 30. Bearing against the pins 38 are spring-hammers 39, which extend through brackets 40, secured to the under side of the@ wall, and are provided with adjusting-screws 41 for regulating the pressure against the;

pins 38.

Mounted in hearings on the under side of. the wall 30 isa shaft 42, provided with a gearwheel 43, which coact's with a similar wheel 44'o'n the conveyer-shaft 24 and is thereby driven. each hammer, with a collar 45, from which project pins 46, adapted during rotation of the shaft to act against an opposing shoulder 47 on the hammer 39, which in turn strikes the pins 38, thereby imparting a jarring action to the selecting-plate.

The shaft 42 is provided, adjacent By manipulating the screws 41 the force of the blows struck by the hammers may beregulated, and consequently the jarring action of the plates varied.

The selecting-plates are adapted to act upon the berries in a manner to remove the sound ones from the conveyer and permit the soft or unsound berries, which are unaffected by the selecting-plates, to be carried on ward to the end of the conveyer, at which point they drop from the machine.

To insure the discharge of all the sound berries from the conveyer, I employ in the present instance three plates 35 35 36 and adjust the screws 41 so as to produce the same jarring action upon the plates 35 35 and a greater range of jarring action upon the plate 36. By adjusting the screws 41 in this manner I am enabled to discharge berries from the conveyer at different points, according to their various degrees of soundness, and thereby separate from the very sound berries, known as firsts, those of a lesser degree of soundness, known as seconds.

The very sound berries, or firsts, as they are advanced by the conveyer respond quickly to the slight jarring action of the plates 35 35 and are thereby discharged from the conveyer, while the seconds pass the plates 35 35 unaffected thereby and respond to the greater jarring action of the plate 36, which in turn discharges them from the conveyer. The berries as they are thusv discharged from the conveyer are received upon 1 an oE-bearing belt 45, which is supported on a table 46, longitudinally of the machine, and passes around rollers 47 48, mounted in bearings on the frame, the table 46 being provided with lateral guard-rails 49 50, between which the berries are carried.

The shaft of the roller 47 is provided with a pulley 50*, which is belted with a pulley 51 on one of the shafts 24, whereby motion is imparted to the off-bearing belt.

The firsts are kept separate from the seconds on the oif-bearing belt by a longitudinally-arranged partition -rail 52, supported by bars 53 53, secured to the frame.

Pivoted to the rail 50 and extending diagonally to meet the rail 52 is a gate 54, which deflects the seconds laterally of the off-bearing belt, from which they drop into a suitable receptacle below. If desired, the gate may be swung parallel with the rail 50 and the seconds carried onward with the firsts.

I employ a mechanism at the delivery end of the machine to separate the larger from the smaller berries of a predetermined size.

This mechanism comprises a series of paralam enabled to adjust the walls 57toward and from the conveyers 55, and thereby regulate the size of the berriesto be delivered at the ends of said conveyers.

The conveyers are provided with bevel gearwheels 59, which coact with similar wheels 60 on a transverse shaft 61, which is provided with a pulley 62, driven by a belt 63 I p from a pulley64a onone of the shafts 24.

t Theberries aft-er being delivered from the OE-bearing belt rest against the walls 57 and The con veyindicated by 58 drop therethrough into a I tacle 66 below.

I provide the upper inclined faces of the walls 57 with projections 57, which retard 1,5

I resting directly upon the conveyors until the forward movement of any berries not said conveyers are clear to receive said herries, thereby insuring the passage of the ber ries along the conveyers in succession.

To prevent the berries from bruising as they dropfrom the machine into the receptacle 65, I employ acushioning device 67, which is suspended by a cord 68.,passing around apulley 69 and provided with a counterweight 70. The cushioning device comprises a frame71, provided with a flexible member 72, arrangedon a curve, as shown. This flexible member receives the berries as they drop from thecon'veyers 55 and gradually'checking their momentumpermits them to fall into the receptaclewithout bruising.

The pulley 69 is mounted on a'conven- This shaft is prothe roller 48. As the pulley 69 is slowly rotated the cushioning device is gradually raised and kept a short distance above the berries as they fill the receptacle. The cushioning device may be raised by the mechanismrjust described or by hand, as desired.

. While myinvention is herein described in a desirable and practicable form, yet I do not limit myself to this particular construc-' tion, as the same be greatly modified'without' departing from theinvention.

. 1. In a machineof the character described, the combination of a fruit-selecting plate, a

support therefor, and means for jarring the said plate.

2.. In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a plurality of fruit-selectingplates, a supporttheref0r,means for imparting difierent jarring actions to said plates, and means for introducing fruit to said plates. 3. In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a frnit-selectingplate, a

conveyer arranged adjacent thereto, means for jarring the plate, and means for actuating j'the conveyer. 4. In a machine of the character described,

thecombination with ahopper, of means for successively removing berries therefrom, a

conveyer, a fruitselecting plate arranged adjacent thereto, means for jarring the same, and means for actuating the conveyer.

5. In a machine of thecharacter described,

I the combination with a hopper, of a wheel,

rotating means therefor, means on said Wheel for successively removing berries from the hopper, aconveyer, a fruit-selecting plate arranged adjacent thereto, means forjarring ,veyer.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fruit-selecting plate, a hammer for imparting a jarring action thereto, 'means'for actuating the hammer, a conveyer arranged adjacent the plate, and means for actuating the conveyer.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fruit-selecting plate, a spring-hammer for imparting a jarring action thereto,'an adjusting-screw for the hammer, means for actuating said hammer, a conveyer arranged adjacent the plate, and means for actuating the conveyer.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a conveyer, a wall arranged adjacent thereto, a fruit selecting plate on said wall, a pin 'on said plate, a spring-hammer bearing against said pin, and means for actuating said hammer.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a conveyor, actuating means therefor, a wall arranged adjacent the conveyer, a fruit-selecting plate onsaid wall,

hammer bearing against said pin, a shaft,

projections for engaging the combination of a screw conveyer, actuating means therefor, a pair of oppositely-in clined walls, a clearing-block adjacent the conveyer, a fruit-selecting plate, and means for jarring the same.

the combination with a hopper, of means for pair of oppositely-inclined walls, a conveyer,

plate, and means for jarring the same.

14. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with ahopper, of means for said plate, and means. for actuating the conthe plate, and means for actuating the con-- actuating means therefor, and a collar on said" 13. In a machine of the character described,

successively removing berries therefrom, a

actuating means therefor, a fruit-selecting a pin bearing against said plate, a spring- 12. In a machine of the character described,

successively removing berries therefrom, a pair of oppositely-inclined walls, a conveyer, actuating means therefor, a clearing-block adjacent the conveyer, a fruit-selecting plate, and means for jarring the same.

15. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with a hopper, having an opening therein, a shaker adjacent the open-' ing, means for agitating said shaker, means adjacent said opening for successively removing berries therefrom, a conveyer, actuating means therefor, a fruit-selecting plate adjacent the conveyer, and means for jarring the plate.

16. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with a hopper having an opening therein, of aspring-controlled shaker pivoted adjacent the opening, an adjustingscrew for said shaker, a shaft, actuating means therefor, means on said shaft for agitatin g said shaker, means adjacent said opening for successively removing berries therefrom, a conveyer, actuating means therefor, a fruit-selecting plate adjacent the con veyer, and means for jarring the plate.

17. In a machine of the character described, the combination with ahopper, of means for successively removing berries therefrom, a

conveyer, actuating means therefor, a plurality of fruit-selecting plates, means for imparting different jarring actions thereto, an

off-bearing belt, actuating means therefor,

and a partition-rail arranged adjacent said belt.

18. In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a receptacle, a cushioning device therein, and means for gradually raising said device.

19. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a receptacle, a cushioning device therein, including a flexible member arranged on a curve and adapted to check inclined face wherebythe forward movement of berries not resting directly upon the conveyer is retarded.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. WHITE.

Witnesses:

RALPH H. GAMBLE, ANDREW V. GROUPE. 

